1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector having a male housing and female housing and specifically to a connector providing an improved locking feeling with a locking arm of a cantilever structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional connector. FIG. 10 is a drawing to explain an operation and problem of the conventional connector.
As shown in FIG. 9, a box-shaped male housing 8 includes a main locking arm 81 having a center impeller structure, a pair of guide ribs 82 upstanding to the right and left of the main locking arm 81, a protrusion 81a on the main locking arm 81, and a depressing portion 81b having a square button shape and disposed at one end of the main locking arm 81. A female housing 9 includes a box-shaped receptacle 93 with an inner periphery being same as an outer periphery of the male housing 8, a pair of guide grooves 92 in accord with the pair of guide ribs 82, and a notch 91b in accord with the depressing portion 81b. 
In order to connect the male and female housings 8 and 9, the guide ribs 82 and the guide grooves 92 are aligned each other and the male housing 8 is inserted into the female housing 9, in an arrow direction in FIG. 9, while depressing the depressing portion 81b and deforming an upper portion of the main locking arm 81. The protrusion 81a on the main locking arm 81 abuts to a hood of the female housing 9 during connecting. When the protrusion 81a enters into a hole, not shown, the main locking arm 81 resumes an initial shape and the connection is completed. Electric wires 84 and 94 connected to the male and female housings 8 and 9, respectively, are also electrically connected.
JP, H11-31554,A discloses a prior art related to the present invention.
In this kind of connectors, a locking feeling to assure the complete connection between the male and female housings 8 and 9 is important. Without the locking feeling, a worker has concerns about the connection and tries again. This causes a low working efficiency. For this reason, the main locking arm 81 has a center impeller structure 81c and 81d as shown in FIG. 10. The center impeller structure gives a relatively large reaction force, or an upward force in FIG. 10, to the main locking arm 81 and attains a moderate locking feeling.
Meanwhile, an arrangement of the depressing portion 81b becomes difficult. If the depressing portion 81b is disposed at apart by L from a rear end of the main locking arm 81, a portion having the depth L extends outside the male housing 8. If the male housing 8 extends to the rear end of the main locking arm 81 to include this extension, the male housing 8 becomes a large size.
Although the center impeller structure gives the suitable locking feeling and the large repulsive force, it becomes difficult to unlock the male and female housings 8 and 9.
The center impeller structure requires the extension L outside the depressing portion 81b as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and causes the difficulty of unlocking.